Welcome one and all to what is my favorite episode of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken yet. I laughed, I cried, and I all around loved it as 25 minutes felt like it went by in 5. So enough preamble, lets just jump into it.
Right off the bat, I have to admit, I legitimately teared up during Eizouken this week. I could feel the passion bleeding through the screen throughout the episode. But the part that really got me, that hit the hardest, was the Robot Club President. I loved his run through the campus, you could tell that this was the best day of his life. Both from the VA work of yelling out the OP to their anime to the ugly cries of joy under the costume. Terrify the neighborhood with spine-chilling Scary Halloween Costumes. It was simply infectious. It was a moment bought not through some grand battle or terrible stakes, no one was in danger here. Rather Eizouken created it through the combined passion and works of its characters. All of them pushing towards a singular goal that, even when at odds, they all loved. And it culminated both in the video and in this run.
Moving on to the actual anime itself, while I preferred the first one, it was still great. There was just enough polish in there to look great and be fun, but enough jank to sell it as a student project. With things like the live dubbing showing their rushed production while still “finishing” the product. Even tossing in a few easter eggs for Mizusaki’s passion, like the tea throw. At the same time I loved how Mizusaki’s parents commented throughout. Drawing connections between specific scenes and moments from her childhood. Connecting with their daughter and seeing the dance lessons or her grandmother and such in them. Exploring the growth of her passion from mimicking things she saw on TV to translating them to animation. It wasn’t exactly slow growth for them, but then they also barely existed as characters before this episode.
Really, if I had to point out one issue with Eizouken this week it would be the parents. Yet at the same time this “issue” beats out many other series best parts, it’s just the standard with Eizouken is so high. That said, I want to wish we had more time with them, but I have no idea where I would put them. What would we have to rip out to get more time fleshing out Mizusaki’s relationship with her parents? The bathhouse? Or the Sound Design? There just isn’t a place to fit it in! Yet even without these extra scenes, I think the parents still worked and did their job. Eizouken can be very subdued when it wants to, and this was one of those moments. So my nebulous desire for “more” aside, I like the parents and what they bring to our cast.
For instance, the scene that really made me appreciate them, accept them in the cast, came at the end. That moment of quiet retrospection with their daughter, figuring out if she was satisfied or not. Giving her specific criticisms while also praising her on her work, only to later ask the same question to Asakusa and Kanamori. I love the idea that, even though the series is done and aired, none of them are “satisfied” with it. They don’t hate it, they liked what they made, but they know they could have done more. That they can get better and do more and grow. I think using these two successful actors who, even though we barely know them are familiar with it all, was a great idea. They are hardly deep characters, but they are effective ones.
Finally, I want to take a moment to appreciate Kanamori, because I love this girl. The amount of work she goes through for this club is incredible. Sure, the animation is the poster child, but there is no way it would ever get done without her. From coordinating the creation schedule to marketing to the Robot Club, it was all great. If it wasn’t for the Presidents run I would say she even got the best scene of the episode. I loved how Eizouken portrayed her negotiations with the AC club, both visually and narratively. Like it was some kind of Mafia movie, complete with blackmail pictures and everything. I know I keep saying it, and I try my best not to repeat myself, but I just love this series. Yuasa is doing it again and I can’t wait to see how it ends.
So, all in all, how was Eizouken this week? In all honesty, I think it was my favorite episode yet. I could go on and on about its stylized production, the compelling characters or passion thats put into every aspect of it. I could write 3,000 words and still not really know where to stop. So instead I want to cut this one short and just say this: Please watch Eizouken. I don’t know why you are reading this if you aren’t, but just in case, please watch it. I think there is something special to be found here. Whether it be the stylized look into anime production or the Ed Edd n Eddy like trio of girls or something else entirely, I think you can find somethin to love. Just give it a shot. Because I am running out of ways to say “I love this show”.
Just saw this ep, and you’re right – it was the best one yet. For me, the most emotional part was Mizusawa telling her parents, “To me, life is about working on [anime] like this. And there’s nothing I can do about that now.” It’s not the best translation, but her confidence in having found her life’s calling really moved me, especially since she got to share it with her previously disapproving parents. Good stuff.
That was good too! There were a lot of really good parts to Eizouken this week, and I cant wait to see where it goes from here